Xiaotao and I re-entered the classroom. I sniffed at the walls, but the wallpaper appeared to be scented, so I couldn’t detect the presence of any human body inside.
“Are you sure the rich lady is hidden here?” asked Xiaotao. “Wouldn’t she be easily discovered here?”
I tore down the wallpaper and a layer of soundproofing material was exposed.
“With the soundproofing material,” I said, “no one would suspect anything.”
Xiaotao ripped the wallpaper on the other wall down and was shocked. “Song Yang!” she shouted. “There’s no soundproofing material on any of the walls except that one! She must be in there!”
A janitor heard the commotion and rushed into the room. He was stunned when he saw us tearing down the wallpaper. He demanded to know who we were, so Xiaotao showed him her police badge and said, “We’re investigating a case. Please go get some people in here and bring along some tools to break down the wall!”
The janitor froze for a moment, then argued, “But Officer, must you break down the wall? How will I explain this to the headmaster?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Xiaotao reassured him. “I’ll take responsibility for everything that happens here. You’ll be noted for your contribution too. And you might even be featured in the newspaper!”
The janitor’s heart melted when he heard that. He shook his head modestly and said, “The newspaper? No… I’ll be too embarrassed to have my picture on the front page! Right, I’ll go get help straight away!”
Soon after that, the janitor returned with a few other men and some tools. I reminded them to be very careful because there could be someone hidden behind the wall. They were taken aback when they heard that.
“Is it a corpse?” asked the janitor.
If the rich lady really was behind that wall, then it would be pointless to hide the fact from these people, so I answered, “No, it’s a living person.”
The men were horrified. They carefully tore down the layer of soundproofing material, exposing newly-laid bricks behind it. When I saw that, I was convinced that we’d found the rich lady. The school would’ve been empty during the holidays, so Xu Gang could very easily sneak into the classroom and hide the rich lady behind the wall.
More importantly, this would be fitting revenge for Xu Gang. He would’ve wanted the rich lady to slowly die while she was separated from her daughter only by a wall. She would be able to hear the sound of her daughter’s voice reading and talking and laughing, yet she would not be able to see her or to speak to her, and she would have to endure it for two long years—it would simply be a fate worse than the tortures of hell!
When the men broke down a few bricks, the wall suddenly vibrated. Everyone backed away in fright.
“She’s really in there!” cried Xiaotao excitedly. She then immediately called for the ambulance and reported to the police station.
The men dared not continue breaking down the wall, so I said, “I’ll do it!”
I put on the gloves and carefully knocked each brick down. It was a laborious and time-consuming task. Once I’d knocked down enough bricks to create a hole, we saw a pair of legs trapped in there and heard the sound of whimpering.
“Don’t be afraid,” I comforted the rich lady. “We’re the police. We’re here to save you!”
The whimper grew louder, and it sounded like she was crying now. Judging from her voice, she was probably gagged.
Once the police arrived, I asked the officers to help me break down the wall. We were horrified when we finally saw the condition that the rich lady was in. She was stuck in the narrow space inside and she couldn’t move at all so she had to remain standing. Her eyes and mouth were sewn up with threads. She had lost a lot of weight and was practically just skin and bones; her head had been completely shaven, and her legs were covered with her own urine.
The paramedics carefully lifted the lady out of the wall. She kept whimpered and groaned and fumbled her hands about, but because her joints had become stiff, her movements were disturbingly rigid.
I took her hand and told her, “Don’t be afraid. You’re safe now.”
She hugged me and cried uncontrollably. It was only after a few minutes before she finally calmed down and could be taken into the ambulance.
She was then sent to the hospital. Fortunately, there was an extra antidote, so her life would not be in critical danger. Although she did murder two people, it was Xu Gang who forced her hand, so she would most likely not be charged for it. She would soon be able to resume her normal life.
Now that the case was finally settled, I asked Xiaotao if she wanted to take a vacation for two days. She smiled feebly and replied, “There’s still a lot of work to do, so no rest for me! I held them off so I could work on this case, and now I’ve got to go back to them.”
Xiaotao drove me back to my dorm. Just as she was about to leave, I worked up my courage and said, “I’ll be done with finals next week. I hope you’ll find some time out of your busy schedule to go out with me, Officer Huang.”
“Sure!” answered Xiaotao. Then she gave me a peck on the cheek and grinned.
As she drove away, I stood outside the college gate staring blankly at nothing, savoring the warmth that lingered on my cheeks…